What was formally simply a bishop′s palace stood on the location of today′s Residenz since about
1120. This court was altered repeatedly in the 15th and 16th century. The current building is mostly what Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau started around
1600, when he performed major changes of the original Residenz buildings.

Under Wolf Dietrich′s reign, the main courts, the Residenzplatz Square and the Domplatz Square, the Carabinierisaal Hall, and the arcade connections to the
Franziskanerkirche Church as well as the so-called "Dietrichsruh" building. The wings towards the
Alter Markt Square and the Churfürstenstraße as well as the Residenzplatz wing were started under the rule of Prince Archbishop Markus Sittikus.

Salzburg′s prudential residenz

Promotional Video for the Residenz Palace, done
by the Tourist Info Office.

Prince Archbishop Guidobald Graf Thun (1654 to 1668) added a floor to the main building in order to allow the Residenz Palace to blend in
visually with the Salzburger Dom. Around 1710, the fašade was renewed under Prince Archbishop Franz Anton Harrach according to a design by Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt.

Prince Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo planned to rebuild the western wings in Neo-classicist style, but
only the Toskanatrakt wing was altered. The destruction of the
Franziskanerkirche Church and parts of the "Dietrichsruh" building was not done due to the high costs of the project.

During the 19th century, the Residenz Palace was temporarily used as a private palace by some members of the Austrian royal family as well as the line of
Habsburg-Toskana. Today, the Residenz Palace contains the art collection "Residenzgalerie" and is used by the
University of Salzburg as well as the
Salzburg Festival, but can also be rented for private occasions.

Toskanatrakt

Prince Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo ordered the erection of the Toskanatrakt wing buildings to replace former wings from the time of Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau. The
Toskanatrakt′s fašade bears decorations around the windows that date back to the late 18th century. The northern wing consists of arcades with ionic pillars that span two floors and were built in the early
17th century. The south-east corner dates back to the first building period of the Residenz Palace and contains a staircase and stucco work from around
1600.

The so-called "Steinsaal"
hall in the first floor contains elaborate stucco decorations from the 18th and 19th century. The
"Toskana Appartement" (Tuscany apartment) in the second floor contains a ceiling and walls with stucco work from
1862. The Toskanatrakt is used by the law faculty of Salzburg University, so don′t be surprised to find it full with blondes in Lacoste polos and tanned guys in Barbour jackets trying hard to look smart.

Carabinierisaal and Rittersaal halls

The Carabinierisaal and Rittersaal Halls are the two most important halls for representative purposes in the Residenz Palace. They are also called
"Prunkräume", or "glorious rooms" (State
Apartments) and can be visited with audio guides. The Carabinierisaal Hall was used as a common room for the Prince Archbishop′s bodyguards, but also for theatre and banquettes or balls.

It was initially built in
1600, but enlarged in 1660 and newly decorated in 1689. The elaborate stucco work was made by Francesco and Carlo A. Brenno and Antonio Carabelli in
1689. The three paintings on the ceiling depict representations of the four elements and were painted by J. M. Rottmayr in
1689: Neptun rules over the wind (water and air), the Calydonian hunt for boars (earth) and the workshop of Vulcanus (fire).

The smaller artworks in the corners represent the four gods of wind. The four gates are made of marble and date back to around
1610. Bordering to the Carabinierisaal, you will find the Rittersaal with paintings on the ceiling depicting scenes from the life of Alexander the Great. These were painted by J. M. Rottmayr, too, in
1714. The main work depicts the taming of the horse Bukephalos by Alexander. Over the mantelpieces you plastic allegories and armour trophies. A gate towards East dates back to
1770 and connects the Residenz Palace with the
Salzburger Dom.

Wallistrakt

The Wallistrakt connects the Residenz Palace with a pillar hall over the Franziskanergasse alley. It was built in
1606 and extended with another floor in 1690. The only original wing contains a two-store hall with a central pillar in Tuscany style that was taken from the old cathedral.

On the northern side of the Wallistrakt one can see two Roman mosaics from the
3rd century. They were found here during renovation work took place in
1964 and 1965 and added to the arcades.

Today, the Residenz Palace hosts an art gallery mostly with Baroque
paintings; the gallery can be visited separately from the palace and is
maintained as a museum - it is described in an own
article.